Thoughts on writing, reading, and the Christian life

Why do you read fiction? (My first poll!)

People seem to have a lot of different reasons for reading fiction. Publishers guess at these reasons and try to gauge their offerings accordingly. Writers engage in heated debates about what fiction is for—mostly, it seems, with the goal of justifying their own type of writing. But I’m interested in what you, as a reader, think. What moves you most often to pick up a novel?

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5 comments on “Why do you read fiction? (My first poll!)”

For a lot of us, I think escapism has something to do with why we read fiction- at least in part. I enjoy taking a break from here and now and being able to imagine another place and time, identify with a character, an become engrossed in someone else’s story. And one of the great things about it is that that story continues at MY pace. I read when it’s convenient for me, and the book is always there waiting for me to pick up where I left off.

Good point, Adriane. I thought after I created the poll that perhaps I should have included “escapism” as an option, but thought perhaps it could be subsumed under “entertainment.” (Actually the poll plugin was giving me fits as I tried to figure out how to make it work!)

I wanted to click entertainment and vicarious experience, because for me it has to be both.

I also think the process of going through a story — not just a day in the life of a generic 19th-century woman — but Elizabeth Bennett’s problem, journey, and solution — satisfies a soul-level longing in every human being.